Infinite Reality
by Scarlet Phlame
Summary: "You are banished to the world where there are no happy endings, where you will be trapped in infinite misery." When Hatter was banished to the world beneath Wonderland, she didn't expect to make a pit stop and end up in Storybrooke, Maine. (I do own nothing.) Hatter/Jack (White Knight) pairing. "Maybe death hurts less than life." DISCONTINUED, UP FOR ADOPTION.
1. Chapter 1

When Hatter awoke, she found herself in that place. Judging by the deadly exterior, not to mention the ear piercing silence, she could tell where she was. Simple as that.

With a lot of effort and a loud groan, she pulled herself up and into a sitting position. Her head spun with nausea, and, collecting her scattered thoughts like picking up pieces from a shattered teacup, she somehow managed to stand up.

"Hello?" she shouted and, hearing a loud click behind her, she instinctively spun around. There was nothing behind me, apparently, and she relaxed her shoulders and began to feel around her belt for her dagger. Finding nothing, she cursed aloud. It must've slipped out of her grasp when she was falling.

Out of the blue, Hatter saw lights flicker on. At what appeared to be a reception desk, a woman dressed entirely in black with brilliantly red hair stood. Her lips were pulled together tightly, and she had an impatient look plastered on her face. She hesitated for a moment, before trudging off to the figure. She already knew what this place was, anyway, best she could do was explore it.

Hatter had read about this place in books. She had pictured it many times in her mind, somehow, had always wanted to come here. Well, every tragic soul did. Because, this place was for beasts like her. It gave them one thing, one chance that built and destroyed them in one fell swoop.

Hope.

"Mad Hatter," the woman spoke aloud in a sharp voice that seemed to cut at Hatter's ears like a knife. "You have been banished to the world underneath Wonderland, otherwise known as the infinite inferno. This is merely a trial to confirm whether or not you will receive a lesser punishment, or worse. Is that understood?" A lump rose in her throat, and all she could do was nod hurriedly. She was made of darkness, yes, but when confronted by fear, Hatter found herself truly lost.

More lights flickered on, and that sinking feeling she had only intensified. She knew for sure now, she was in the infamous Room of Judgement. Every single record, every single detail of her past life lay buried here in detailed description in words. Once she was past her waiting time, wherever that was, it would determine which next life she was to receive.

She knew this trial would show her simply to the waiting place where she would spend maybe a thousand years, until she was ready to return to the earth. From there, they would decide which die was rolled, whether she would be a pawn or a Queen. Tis was the game of life, and Hatter could already tell she was losing.

Her gaze dropped onto the redheaded woman once more, and all she could do was stand there in shock.

"Well, we haven't got all day, now, have we? Go on, take a seat." Hatter turned around, noticing a tall, uncomfortable-looking stool. She sat, and found it was indeed uncomfortable. Still, though, it was the Judgement Room. What should she expect?

* * *

Time seemed to fly by in an instant, and before Hatter knew it, the trial had come to an end. For Hatter, it had been a long, drawn out session of staring at her shoes, then holding up her chin defiantly. Nothing could've prepared her for each accusation, insult, and bad deed that she had done. But the worst thing of all was that each comment was true. Every single one of them. And she could feel every accusing pair of eyes burning into her skull for every torturous second, every horrific moment.

The redheaded woman who Hatter now recognized as the judge she had seen from earlier, pounded her gavel hard, for no particular reason. Hatter wanted to be snarky, but figured now was not a good time. "Then it is settled," the judge spoke. With a start, Hatter realized this was her sentence. She had been so deeply absorbed in thought she had missed most of the trial.

"You are banished, to the world where there are no happy endings, where you will be trapped in infinite misery. This will be a reality for you." Hatter felt her heart sink into her stomach. When did that come up? She truly had no idea what this new place was, but she feared it would become the only place she knew.

"W... when?" Hatter stuttered, horrified at the answer she received.

"Now."

* * *

"Urgh..." The world was floating around Hatter in mysterious, nauseating waves of color and confusion. Bile surged in her throat, and she would've vomited had she not fought to gain control over her senses once more. Even the sound of her own groan startled her.

...Wait a minute. She hadn't groaned.

And then she did. Jack, the White Knight, was here. What was he doing here, though? Had they both been subjected to the same fate? She supposed he deserved it, after all, it was his fault she got into this mess in the first place.

Now Hatter wished more than anything she had her knife. She pictured plunging it deep into his heart, savoring every second of his sweet, sweet demise...

A yellow bug sped pass, and Hatter literally had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. She could tell by the agonizing pain in her left side she had been hurt somehow. She didn't know how, until she pulled her own knife out of her own gut. She gazed ahead at the yellow bug, perhaps to call for help, but she couldn't see much, as her vision was blurring at this point. She did, however, notice that the car had crashed into a sign. A sign that read:

STORYBROOKE


	2. Chapter 2

The worlds seemed to spiral around Hatter, and in one instant, every emotion she had ever felt came rushing back at her. Every anger, hurt, sadness, disgrace, and loss she had even known seemed to knock the breath out of her.

Her blue eyes snapped open, and she found herself sitting up and panting hard. She was covered in a thing, slick layer of sweat, and already felt low just from a simple action such as sitting up. Sucking in a deep breath, she ran her fingers through her spiraled red hair and let out a small moan. What was this place?

She was sitting on a bluish-white bed, next to green-shaded curtains that reminded her of the color of mint. There was a large window on the other end of the room, a distance away from her bed. Normally she would've ran and jumped right out of the window; this place was starting to panic her, but in her condition escape would be unlikely.

Hatter gently smoothed out her hospital gown and tenderly patted at the weak flesh on her side where she had been stabbed. The irony, being stabbed by her own knife. How had that even happened?

She grew red with fury when she realized who it must've been. Jack. That sick bastard! She swore to herself she was going to kill him later, she was going to make him pay.

She had burning desire to speak to one of the passing by nurses, but she held her tongue. Maybe she should simply observe, if she wanted to learn about this place.

Hatter stopped breathing for a moment, just to make the room silent so she could make sure she hadn't imagined it. It simply couldn't be, and if it was, then she was going to...

But the voice she was hearing on the other side of the curtain was definitely the White Knight's.

"Nothing. I was just, um, looking for a place to... stay for the night, and she was on the side of the road," he was saying. "I don't even know how she got stabbed, or who stabbed her, for that matter." Sooner or later, someone was going to have to tell Jack how bad of a liar he was.

There was a long pause, before a woman broke the silence. "Where are you from?" Hatter heard her snap, sounding very irritable. There was another long silence, and Hatter could hear indistinct sounds, like a bird chirping from outside the reach of the hospital and the sound of the AC droning. She recognized many of these things from Alice's home in New York, was it?

"You know what I'm asking," she heard the woman croon after a while. "You know something. You're hiding the truth."

"And what does that mean?"

Hatter wanted a face to go with the voices, so she shakily stood with much effort and hobbled over to the curtain, pushing it aside, and trying to stand up straight to keep that air of dignity she always held. She studied the two's reactions very carefully.

There was a woman in a navy blue suit, dark brown hair cut to an appalling length, and a vicious smirk visible on her face that automatically vanished at the sight of the battered hospital patient. Jack was still dressed from head to toe in blue, in that ridiculous boy-band costume.

"And you must be..." Hatter nearly jumped wen she realized the brunette was waiting for her to complete her sentence.

"Alice," she blurted, since it was the first thing to come to mind.

"Hatter," Jack said at the same time. She sent a scathing glare in his direction.

"Hatter," Hatter corrected, grimacing when Jack said "Alice," at the same time once more, their tones merging together almost musically, yet the difference between each tone clear. The strange naming and jumpiness from the pair earned an eyebrow raise from the brunette.

"People call me Madeline," Hatter stuttered, extending a hand to make up for the awkward situation. The brunette simply stared at it as if it was an anaconda, and Hatter let her hand fall limply to her side. "What was your name again?"

"I didn't give it," the woman sharply replied, and Hatter folded her arms across her chest. A conniving smile conquered her lips, and she could tell the woman was getting unnerved.

"Regina," she said after a long moment of tense silence. "Now, will you be staying long? Our town is, well, rather small, and we wouldn't want to keep you for long. I expect you two are from a larger, more busy area? New York, perhaps?"

"What gives you the authority to do that? Tell us that you don't want to keep us?" Jack sent her a glare, and although she would normally be glad to return it, she kept her gaze focused upon Regina.

"I'm the mayor."

...Crap. Hatter was not coming to like this woman's attitude. Of course she had to end up as the goddamn mayor of the town.

"Of course you are," Hatter muttered under her breath in a hushed tone. She said it so quietly, though, she might not have even said it at all.

"Now, I do hope that you'll enjoy your trip home," she said, before briskly walking off in the other direction. Hatter made sure she was a distance away before spinning around and punching Jack in the jaw. She was pretty sure she had made a good hit after hearing the loud CRACK that sounded. She raised her fist again, but he was ready for her second blow, and he caught her fist in his. His foot hit her side, and she tried not to let out a whimper at the spark of pain in her already wounded side.

"Let me go," she hissed, and he pushed her back a few feet away, his eyes filled with so much anger and hatred. Did he perhaps believe he deserved a happy ending just because he was so-called "good"? How sweet. She was happy he had been trapped, trapped here along with her. It was what he deserved.

"This is your fault.. I was not meant to fall, not like this," he muttered indistinctly through gritted teeth, fists clenched and knuckles turning a pale shade of white. There was anger written all over his face. Hatter could only seem to stand there and seethe, although she couldn't seem to ignore the burning pain on her side.

"Really, you think you can just pin the blame on me?" Hatter managed to choke out, her voice reaching an octave higher than she realized it could go, her tone cold and icy, yet demanding. She couldn't seem to stop staring daggers at the man who had ruined everything. Her hands were twitching with the desire to kill.

Jack seemed to pick up on this and slowly backed away, but he never let his gaze fall away. "You can't kill me," he aid, causing Hatter to burst out in laughter.

"Really?" she sneered in his direction. She had him backed up to the wall by now, and her hands seemed to fly gracefully up to his throat. "I should have killed you when I had the chance," she said, her sardonic smile vanishing. Jack placed a hand on his throat, and she jumped a little.

"Ah, but you can't. First of all, people would notice my absence. The mayor, for example..." She was surprised by how calm his tone sounded, and her grip only tightened around his throat. "And you're incredibly weak right now. I know, that before now, that punch would've actually hurt. In fact, I believe that crack was your own fist." She swallowed, not wanting to believe him. Her gaze flicked over to nothing in particular, then back to meet his.

Jack's fingers brushed her own away, and he kneed her a distance away. She collapsed onto the floor, and nausea began to eat at her senses, but she still picked herself up. The thing she hated most about her situation was how incredibly calm Jack was.

A few black spots began to blur her vision, and Jack lazily glanced at her.

The last thing she remembered was lunging at him, and then the world spiraled into darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Hatter opened her eyes, a burning sensation at the back of her throat seeming to magnify every second that ticked by. Her hand groped around on the table beside her to find something to drink, maybe water, but there was nothing there, so all she could do was lie there and gasp and wheeze, trying to suck in blessed air. She tensed up for a moment, slightly nervous Jack was around, but she relaxed when she realized she was alone in the room. How degrading, to be scared of him, even if only for a moment. She couldn't even believe herself she had sunk so low as to be defeated by such a stupid fop. It made her blood boil just to think about it. She wished she had had the energy to plunge a knife deep into the gut, savoring the wonderful feeling of another murder, another thought to distract her from the cold truth. She fought to stand up, but fell right off the bed, the breath knocked out of her.

"Feeling a bit ill today?" a voice from behind her asked, and she swallowed, choking on her own harsh words.

"Get away from me," she rasped, her own voice sounding insecure and rough, like sandpaper. She tried to stand, but kept on falling, so she reached out for support, like she was willing a handrail to appear magically in front of her. She wasn't thinking straight, well, it wasn't like she ever did, anyway. Nonetheless, she was surprised when a hand met hers and pulled her up. "What are you doing?" she asked, swatting his hand away from her own once she had the full support of the cabinet beside her hospital bed. She couldn't quiet force herself to look into his eyes. She heard Jack suck in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for my actions the other day. I was... upset." Hatter snorted, she could almost picture the innocent look on his face, despite the fact that her eyes were finding the floor the most interesting thing in the room as of this moment. "What do you want?" she sneered, tone sounding conniving and extremely dark. Jack sucked in another breath, as if bracing himself for something to come.

"Do you know where Alice is?" he asked finally, causing Hatter to smirk. Was his biggest thought here really Alice? How sweet, but it looked like Jack the White Knight was about to meet the cold, unforgiving blade of reality. She was going to pry him away from his child fairytale fantasy.

"No," was all she managed to say, and her eyes finally fell upon his, just to see his bitter, numb disappointment. But she never saw it, only his blank stare.

"Didn't you, um, say you were like her reflection, like her opposite? I thought you knew everything she knew, heard everything she heard?" Hatter let out a malevolent laugh.

"First of all, White Knight, let me answer your question with one of my own. First of all, we are trapped in this desolate location from which there is no escape, doomed to spend an eternity here, and you're worried about the well-being of dear Alice? Ever wondered how I've felt, being a mere reflection of someone? It would've been a blessing if she died.. I would've gone with her." Jack swallowed, but he wasn't going to allow himself to pity Hatter. She was getting what she deserved, even if it meant his own ultimate suffering in the end. She was anything but repentant, and he could still see that crazed, bloodthirsty stare saturating her eyes and the madness lacing her every movement.

"Not to mention the fact that we aren't even real," Hatter continued, looking off into the distance. The way she continued to ramble on and on unnerved him, and he felt like he was just watching her rant to no one in particular. "Now, White Knight, I'd like to see you worry about Alice after all this. Why don't you use that brain of yours for once? Wait... you don't have one." Her brutal tone snapped Jack out of his thoughts, and he blinked once before letting his gaze clash with hers.

"What about you?" he sneered. "You're at your weakest. You're vulnerable, and even though you think you're hiding it, you're scared about what's going to come next. I can tell you know you're going to lose in the end." Hatter's hands began to shake, and she shouted out in rage.

"You know nothing! I am trapped here, and there is no way out, but through Alice, and now she is GONE, and so is my chance of ever starting anew! Yet you continue to speak of little... frivolities!" She stuttered, not even caring what Jack heard her say, or why he seemed almost sympathetic. She wanted to die, she wanted to escape. But there wasn't a knife or a gun, so all she had to do was move forward.

"That's not what I meant," Jack said coldly, though his gaze had fallen to the floor. She wanted to kill him now, wrap her hands around his throat and suffocate him, perhaps she would even die as well, and that would be a blessing. Her entire life had only been pain and suffering, and she had a feeling that maybe death would hurt less than life.

"This is an infinite reality!" Hatter was screaming now, even though her voice was weak and breaking. She didn't care how tired she felt. "We are trapped here forever! So you're just going to have to deal with it! Deal with your loss of dear Alice!" Jack's eyes grew dark.

"There will be a way out of this. I can't live like this. It just feels... horrible." Hatter curled her hands into fists.

"Congratulations, then. Now you finally know how it feels," she spat, before Jack couldn't stand it anymore, and he simply turned and walked out of the room, leaving Hatter alone. Stunned, she swayed a little, then her urge to break something suddenly exploded, and her fist collided with the mirror, sent flying into a thousand shattered pieces.


	4. Chapter 4

The weeks flew by, and Hatter became progressively well again, and the fish doctor declared that she would be fine to leave the hospital. The only problem was the largely accumulated hospital bill. Hatter had absolutely no means of paying it, but after a long discussion with the doctor, they came to an agreement. She would pay out the full fee in parts with no interest for a year. Hatter didn't know much of anything about this world, but she figured it was a reasonable arrangement, so she stuck with the idea. The only problem was that she had no job, and was still wearing her fairy-tale getup. So she started at a place called the Storybrooke Inn, after all, when she asked around, all fingers pointed to Granny's means of work.

* * *

"Excuse me," Hatter said, handing an old woman whose hair had gone gray already the piece of paper she had to fill out, the... job application, yes, that was it. As much as she hated the idea she was going to have to pretend be a common civilian instead of the commander of a great army. She watched the woman look over the form for a while. Oddly, this woman seemed delighted at the idea of a visitor, although Hatter couldn't possibly understand why. She hated being around other people, they were simply a nuisance.

"Madeline?" She turned, slightly jumpy at the sight of the man behind her. He was dressed in dark clothing from head to toe, and held a cane that he seemed to require to walk properly. There was something in the way he walked, talked, even moved, that unnerved her. She tried to avert her gaze from his, because she felt that pair of eyes boring into her skull like a laser beam. "What a lovely name."

"Thanks," she said simply, unsure of what to say or do. For some reason in particular, she was scared to say another word. It was like she was afraid to be judged, although that couldn't be, because she couldn't think on her own. That was something a mirrored image simply couldn't do.

"Well, you enjoy your stay here, Madeline." Hatter simply watched him stalk across the room, and she could've sworn that Granny had tensed up slightly at the sight of him.

"It's all here," she said, handing him a huge wad of cash. Hatter's eyes lit up at the sight of that. She didn't know how much income she would earn working here, but she hoped it would be enough for basic necessities. And for the bill, of course.

"Why, yes it is, thank you," he said, taking the wad of cash from Granny and simply turning and walking off into the darkness.

As soon as he had left, the dark air that had seemed to pressurize the room vanished and left the two women standing there in silence. "That's Mr. Gold. He owns this place," Granny said. Hatter assumed the reason she had said this was to clear up the awkward silence in the room.

"The inn?" Hatter questioned, because she assumed that if she was going to be working here, then she should at least know who owned it. She felt slightly guilty when Granny shook her head and a wave of relief flooded over her. She didn't know why he made her feel so uneasy, but she could already tell that Gold was not a very good person, inside and out.

"No. The town." Hatter's sinking feeling returned, and a lump rose in her throat. She prayed he was a loner, perhaps she would not be forced into another encounter with him. She watched Granny shake her head off, before clearing her throat. "Anyway, the inn doesn't need much assistance as of now, but our cafe does. Would you be willing to work there for a pay of 80 dollars and a free room here?" Hatter nodded eagerly, because she wasn't sure if that was a reasonable amount of money or not, but a free room would be one less thing to worry about.

"Well, then, Miss Madeline Hatter, welcome to Storybrooke," Granny said, handing Hatter a key.


	5. Chapter 5

The first day of work, which Hatter realized, was not very easy at all. She hadn't expected it to be much at all, she'd just figured that she'd do some cleaning or maybe washing dishes, but nothing was what it seemed to be anymore. For starters, she had to take orders from rude customers and pretend like she was happy and smile all the time, or there would be trouble. Not to mention that lurk-happy creepy dude, what was his name again... Whale, who had been her doctor at the hospital, that would not take his gaze off of Ruby, her new boss.

It was embarrassing to have to work for a girl who was way younger than her, but to have to be coached. She had no idea how to sweep or cook food in what appeared to be a miniature furnace with a rotating dish, nor did she know how to take orders. Most of her first day was spent stalking Ruby around and copying everything she did. She felt like a shadow, although she supposed that was what she had been her entire life anyway.

By the time her work period was over, well, "shift", it was already late and she could barely keep her eyes open. She wondered if it was going to be like this all the time, but at least she even had a job and was being accepted here as a normal person, although she really was the opposite.

When she returned to the inn, though, she was greeted by a familiar pair of eyes watching her from the reception desk. Her heart seemed to freeze. What was Jack doing here? And behind the reception desk, nonetheless?

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" he snarled, causing Hatter to chortle.

"I should be asking you the same question."

Jack looked her over for a moment. "Nice uniform," he sneered. Hatter scowled, and simply ignored him and walked upstairs to her room. There was nothing wrong with her uniform at all. Besides, Ruby wore the same thing. Even if she had a... rather unique way of wearing it. Not to mention the fact it didn't stand out so much, even though she missed her hat a bit (apparently in this world it was rude to wear your hats indoors).

Hatter was so tired she didn't even bother to change her clothes or even try to figure out what that thing in the bathroom was that spat out hot water, she just lay down on her bed and tried to relax. Thankfully, she fell asleep fast, even though there were a thousand thoughts dashing around in her head.

* * *

If yesterday had been bad, it was nothing compared to the grinding work she faced today. Cleaning dishes, serving, and taking countless orders. It was about 12:00 when she popped her head into the kitchen to ask Ruby a question.

"Someone left some cash on the table, what should I do?" Ruby stared at her blankly for a moment.

"It's called a tip," she said, as if it were common sense and she couldn't believe Hatter had had no idea what such a thing was. "It's like... extra pay. Like if you do something they like, then they give you a tip." Hatter nodded, but even so, she still felt a bit guilty pocketing the money. She inwardly scolded herself, though, she had already killed others, a tip couldn't be as bad as such a thing.

Around 2:30, a woman walked into the shop, and Hatter recognized her as the woman from the hospital. What was her name... Regina, yes, that was it. She wished Ruby wasn't on break right about now, because something about that woman gave her the chills. She never got nervous around people, although she supposed, in a way, that a mayor was like a queen and such people never had good intentions. Like the Queen of Hearts, for instance.

"Can I take your order?" Hatter asked lazily, trying to keep up with how fast Regina was talking. She wasn't a very fast writer, that was one of the duties her job required that she couldn't quite seem to reach. She turned to leave after she had received the full order, but Regina stopped her.

"I knew I recognized you from somewhere... You were in the hospital a while ago, no?" Hatter nodded, because she didn't quite know what else to do. She seemed a lot better than the Queen, though. At least she hadn't ordered her to turn out her toes, stop fiddling with her hands, and raise her chin and say "Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Hmm... well, by any chance, you aren't planning on staying here, are you?" Hatter laughed nervously, staring at Regina's mirthless smile.

"Well, to be honest, I don't really have anyplace else to go... I mean, this seems like a cozy little town anyway, it's probably not a big deal if I stay here or not." Hatter swallowed at the expression on Regina's face. She was looking at her as if she were the main course of a meal.

"Of course... well, we don't get many visitors here anyway. Tell me, where are you from?" Hatter's throat felt dry. She had better come up with an answer soon, as to not seem suspicious.

"New York," she lied, although it wasn't really a lie at all. More like half of the truth. She didn't want to stand around here and answer any more questions, she felt as if giving away her identity was the most dangerous thing she could do at this point.

As if on cue, she noticed Regina pale a little bit, before she shook her head off and smiled. Now that she thought about it, this woman did look a lot like Cora... the Queen... but that was simply absurd, although she could feel herself sweating a little bit.

"Well, thank you, Madeline," Hatter nodded her head, before dashing off into the back room.

When she came back, to give Regina the bill, the woman smiled and nodded her a $100 tip before casually walking off.

Maybe Madame Mayor wasn't such a bad person, after all.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hatter gazes across the fields. Fields green with life and vivid with energy. A wicked smile twisting across her features and snakes across her lips. Fields ripe for destruction. A scythe, held in her hand, dripping red. She sees a girl beside her, picking at the ground in front of a cottage, while two parents argue. Her power intensifies, and she soaks it in, like a sponge sucking up water. She turns once more to view the fields, but they're dead now, grass withered and flowers wilted._

Hatter awoke with a loud shriek, gasping for air and pulling the covers a little tighter around her.

Ever since she'd arrived in Storybrooke, her memory simply hadn't been the same. She couldn't remember simple faces. She could barely remember her own, anymore. The Queen was nothing more than a name. A meaningless scrambled collection of letters. She couldn't even remember Alice's face, not anymore.

She tried her best to lie back down, but she finally couldn't, and slipped out of bed and headed towards the bathroom to splash some water on her face. When she looked up in the mirror, water dripping from her face, she frowned. Dark circles were visible under her eyes. What was this place doing to her, anyway?

Maybe it would be best to let go. To end her life right here, right now. But she didn't want to know what would happen to her after her death. Should she be worried about trouble in paradise? Perhaps not, and she turned away from the mirror and flicked the light switch off.

As she lay awake in bed, she pondered on what was going to happen next. Where should she go from here? When would the end appear? The battle was done and she had lost, there simply was no purpose to her anymore. She was almost positive her connection to Alice had been broken off. She was glad to be alone, nevermore haunted by all those voices in her head.

* * *

It happened at precisely 4:03 in the afternoon. Hatter should've seen it coming, things like this always happened at the worst of times.

Hatter was carrying a large plate filled with steak and other assorted vegetables. Maybe some potatoes. She hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings, only focused on making a beeline towards the hungry customer's table. She'd figured out that the faster the food came, the more likely she was to get a tip. Smiling helped as well, although sometimes she found it very difficult to put on a happy face sometimes.

I don't want to see you again. Ever.

Hatter found herself on the floor, surrounded by a mess. She couldn't move to pick it up, though, all she could do was just sit there and clutch her head. She didn't know who had said it, but she knew her connection with Alice had not been broken after all. She was trembling like a piece of paper roughly tossed about in the wind, and Ruby eventually heard the mess and came to her aid.

"Madeline, are you feeling okay?" Hatter hastily nodded.

"I'm... I'm just going to go," she said, hastily running off in the direction of the bathroom. Once she had reached it, she dashed into a stall and locked the door behind her, leaning against the wall. She clutched her head and clawed at her hair until the feeling finally vanished and left her exhausted both physically and mentally.

She wished that Alice might not hurt herself again anytime soon, because she had no idea what was going to happen to her if this kind of thing happened again. She couldn't afford to let people think she was crazy, not here, because they would turn on her and leave her alone like Morris did. So she simply unlocked the door, splashed some water on her face, and headed outside to help clean up the mess Alice had created.

* * *

It was a rough day for tips after that, and Hatter hadn't received anything except for a bombardment of continuous questions from Ruby as to what had happened. Eventually it had been dismissed as a chronic headache, and nothing more was said of it, even though Hatter could tell that it was gnawing at her the entire day.

When she reached the inn, she was exhausted and collapsed on her bed. She would've fallen asleep right away, had there not been a loud knock at the door. When she went to answer it, she gritted her teeth at the sight of who it was.

"Heard you had a little incident at the diner," Jack crooned viciously. Hatter snorted.

"I see you have. Now will you excuse me and please let me sleep? It's been a rough day."

"Funny thing, actually," Jack said, stopping her from closing the door. "But you never got those in Wonderland."

"Get away from me," Hatter growled, trying to push him away so she could lock the door and go to sleep.

"You know, I was wondering... Ruby said you were muttering last night. I'm willing to bet that you haven't lost your connection with Alice after all." Hatter kicked him in the shin, but he wouldn't let her close the door.

"So what? It isn't like I even know where she is," Hatter snapped irritably. "If I could stop it, I would. I just can't seem to pound the fact into your miserable little head that you have no idea what it's like to be half of a whole. Good knight, sir," she said, trying to usher him away, only he clung to the door like a barnacle did to a ship.

"You're going to tell me where she is," Jack said in a monotone voice. "Because I know exactly what you're talking about. I can't be complete until I have her back," he growled. Hatter just laughed.

"Well, then, I'm sorry for your loss," she said, her tone growing cold. "But there isn't anything I can do. So, simple as this. You learn to leave your past life behind if you want to survive here. I would think you would've been smart enough to figure that simple of a concept out, but apparently there is nothing in that thick skull of yours." She finally managed to shove him away from the door, then close it and lock it. Just to be safe, she retrieved a chair from the desk by her bed and shoved it by the handle. After all, he might have a room key too.


	7. Chapter 7

It was around a week after Hatter had started her job that Ruby fell ill.

According to Granny, normally two pairs of hands were needed at the cafe, which was one of the reasons that before Hatter and Jack had arrived was why the inn was usually very empty.

But the fact that two people were needed to help around the cafe stuck. And, unfortunately this meant that the only way to solve this problem was to have Jack assist at the cafe until Ruby recovered.

* * *

Hatter jotted down the order, a fake and mirthless smile plastered on her face, and she dashed off to the kitchen where she tacked up the order onto the counter, wondering how she was possibly going to manage all this. Usually Ruby prepared the food and she served, but things were about to get a bit more complicated.

"What are you doing back here?" came Jack's voice from the other end of the room. Hatter groaned loudly. Of course she was going to have to see him every single time she came back here.

"Placing the orders. So you know what to cook. You know, you're lucky you get to cook the orders. I'd like to see you last a second out there in that shark tank," she said simply, before spinning around and heading back into the main area to serve more customers.

The rest of the day Jack and Hatter barely spoke, but mostly only to mutter that they were out of butter or that Jack "accidentally" spilled some milk on the order. It was a tough day for tips, and Hatter had to deal with Jack already. She felt that if she had to say one more kind word or smile for one more instant, she was going to explode. That was, until she ran into Madame Mayor.

Hatter pursed her lips. She was glad to see a familiar face around here, yes, but she wasn't quite sure what to say or do. In a way, she was relieved she was here.

"Hi, can I take your order?" Regina smiled at the sight of her. It freaked her out, because she recognized that fake smile. She should know what one looked like, after all, she spent most of every day wearing one in order to get a tip. She scribbled down the order, and she was about to leave the area, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she blurted out what she had been holding in. "Why did you give me such a big tip?" She could've sworn she saw Regina roll her eyes.

"Well... Storybrooke doesn't get a lot of visitors. I know almost everyone in this town. But... you remind me of someone I used to know. That's why." Hatter nodded and smiled before briskly walking off to the kitchen. She bit her lip until blood seeped out. There was something about that Regina character that freaked her out. And that was unusual. Even so, she couldn't help but feel like she knew her from somewhere.

* * *

_"Who's this?" Hatter asked Morris, the March Hare. "She wasn't on the guest list."_

_"I thought you might want to see her. Her name is Alice." A wicked smile contorted across her face. So, dear Alice had finally found her way to Wonderland. How... sweet._

_"Well, she isn't what I expected," she murmured, amused. "Still, I suppose... Morris, give us a moment alone, will you?" He nodded and handed her a rose, before taking his leave. She toyed with the brilliant red petals for a moment, before speaking. "It's a shame that they have to die, isn't it?"_

_"What has to die?" Alice questioned, seemingly jumpy at this moment. Well, she should be, after all, she was standing before the to-be ruler of Wonderland, that was, after she killed Cora._

_"The flowers, Alice," Hatter snapped angrily. She would hope that Alice would have a little more brains than that. "But, if they didn't die, there would be no more room for other flowers to grow, would there?" She watched her swallow._

_"I guess." Hmm. This Alice was very simpleminded. Perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to take over all the power after all. She would have to speak to the Commandant afterwards, she decided._

_Trumpets sounded in the distance, and her eyes widened. The Queen was here, and most likely with a vengeance for not being invited! Perhaps they could pin the blame on the postal office again, she decided. She was, after all, the Queen's right-hand woman, or so she thought. That position gave her the upper hand to know all her secrets and further her chances of being successful._

_"Have you gone mad, Hatter? How dare you host a tea party without inviting me first!" Morris cut in, a dangerous action to do, but she supposed it didn't matter, not now. The X Mad Hatter (who had been fired after she herself had cut in) hid his teacup under a stool and ran over to assist the Queen._

_"Well, you see... the postal services have been down," Morris said, and Hatter inwardly kicked herself and tacked a mental reminder up to have someone on the lookout next time she hosted an army recruitment- umm, "tea party". "They were slow this time," Morris continued._

_"Well, then, off with all their heads." She smiled in Hatter's direction. "Well, Hatter, I must ask, have you found a way back to my world?" Hatter shook her head._

_"But I am very close, Your Majesty," she said quickly, smiling warmly. "I've almost found a way back, I believe." The Queen nodded, although Hatter knew she had to work fast if she wanted to knock off the Queen's head and still keep hers._

_"And who is this?" It appeared as if the Queen had_

_"Very well, then... I take my leave." Cora vanished in an explosion of smoke, and Hatter stepped on Morris' foot._

_"Next time, you have to look out for signs she's coming here," she snapped, and Morris scowled before storming off. She twiddled with her fingers a moment, before casting a teleportation spell to send her to the room of Mirrors._

* * *

_"Hello, Commandant," Hatter said, eyeing the mirror. "It's as prophesied. Alice has returned to Wonderland." Commandant chuckled from the other end of the mirror. They were in different lands now._

_"I hope you haven't neglected our deal, Hatter. You're to kill __**my mother**__ and you may do with the land as you please. A paying job on both ends." Hatter laughed._

_"Yes, Regina, you have my word. She will fall, in the end."_


	8. Chapter 8

Hatter forced the windows open, the raindrops resting atop the glass splattering off. It was hot inside, the air conditioning had switched off. She just wanted to plop down on the bed and give her eyes a rest, but she knew she couldn't do that. Of course, at night time she had to wait at the reception desk for any visitors, even though there probably weren't going to be any. Hatter just didn't have the heart to crush Granny's and tell her that the goddamn town was like an outcast of its own. She doubted there was any chance they would ever get a visitor. Unless Gold drove someone out of their rental house.

She leaned on the counter, elbows pressing into the hard wood. It was so unfair. Why did she have to be here? She was meant for glory, she was meant to be the Queen. How had things ended this way? Everyone around here was like that ridiculous Cheshire Cat. Always smiling dumbly, even when the darkest hour was drawing near.

The sound of the door opening hardly caused her to bat an eye. She was expecting it to be Granny, but, no, she was upstairs and most likely sleeping. She lifted her head. And...

"You," Hatter whispered, her jaw tightening and her teeth meshing tightly together. Never in her entire existence here had she expected to see the one person who had stood by her side for every minute of her plan to overthrow the Queen. Her hands curled into fists, and she began to tremble with rage. "What. Are. You. Doing. Here." Morris bit his lip. She noticed that he wasn't the March Hare anymore, rather a person, a man, but she could recognize him in any form. She wanted to ask, but she knew that it was probably because the world had changed. If she remembered correctly, this had happened when they went to kidnap Chloe at Queens...

No. She shook her head off to clear her thoughts. She wasn't going to dwell on past experiences. "I... the Queen banished me after she had found out about my betrayal. But that doesn't matter, Hatter, you have to listen to me."

Hatter's hand met his cheek before either of them knew what was happening. Tears were freely flowing down her face, but she couldn't care less. "You betrayed me," she gasped. "You gave the execution list to the Queen. I trusted you with everything, Morris, and you... you..." She couldn't seem to find any more words, so she sucked in a deep breath. "How could you?"

"Hatter, listen to me-"

"I don't want to listen!" Hatter almost screamed. "You tore everything away from me, probably because you were so focused on saving your own hide!" She was so angry, she raised a hand to hit him with a spell. It had been forever since she had used magic, but she didn't care what the cost was. But nothing happened, and all she could do was stare blankly at her hands. "What?" she whispered. Then the truth hit her like a ton of bricks. This world must not have magic. Morris seemed to be slightly shocked that she had attempted to use magic, but had failed.

"We're taking this outside, there are people in here," Hatter exclaimed once she had found her voice. Morris swallowed, and she simply opened the door and let him outside. She couldn't afford to let her relationship with him ruin her new life here.

As soon as they were outside, Morris blurted out the words he had been holding back. "Hatter, you see, I had no choice. They were-"

"I don't care if they had you at goddamn knifepoint," Hatter snapped. "Your responsibility was to take care and to ensure such a thing would not ever happen! What happened to your entire army of soldiers for heaven's sake? Did you tell them to unlock the bars because you were afraid they would get out themselves?" She was shouting now, but she couldn't care less.

"They overtook the army," Morris quickly explained. "Before I even knew what was happening. All the soldiers were fleeing the area, I have no idea how." Hatter laughed out loud.

"Now I am quite positive you're just making things up. I know you wouldn't have failed me." Morris was deathly silent for a moment, all she could hear was the sound of the overhead light buzzing as if in protest and the whoosh of the wind flitting across her face in graceful waves.

"You still believe in me," Morris said quietly. Hatter could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but she fought the urge to blink and release them.

"I know I do. But I have to let go." She took a deep breath, suddenly unable to contain the emotion seeing Morris again had sparked and lit like a bonfire in her heart. "All we've been living is a lie. I think on both ends, well, I hope, that we wanted to believe it was affection. But.." Hatter took a deep breath. "It wasn't. And, you know." Hatter stopped there to prevent the situation from escalating and snowballing out of her control. She never liked to be useless and most certainly she felt at ease having everything around her at reach and in control. It made her feel like maybe if she could control others, then she could control herself.

She noticed Morris nod, and her vision cleared as the tears she had been collecting began to cascade from her eye. With nothing else to say, the words she normally held at the back of her throat dissipating and scattering away from her reach, the two just stood there in silence.

"I'm sorry," Morris said, and Hatter was very happy he had said it after all.


	9. Chapter 9

_Hatter pressed a hand against the mirror before her. Ripples scattered across its reflection, and she smiled at them. Despite the fact she wasn't really thinking clearly, she couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the preposterous action. Reflections couldn't ripple, she knew that much, and, yet, it fascinated her in a curious manner._

_She couldn't see anything inside the cool glass, but she came to the conclusion that it was dark, so that must be the reason why she couldn't quite see her reflection. Well, it wasn't like she ever really saw her own reflection, of course, she only ever saw Alice. That was a given when you weren't your own person._

_She reached inside her pocket, fumbling around blindly for a match. She wanted to see something other than darkness, and when her fingers found it, she struck it against the side of the box, before tossing the useless piece of cardboard aside._

_But when she looked up, she still saw nothing. Nothing but the reflection of the match, which now appeared to be floating in the thin air._

_For a second, she stood there, simply watching the fiery orb at the head of the wood flicker._

_Then she screamed, dropped the object. Her heart began to pound faster. Was this a sign? Since she'd come to Storybook- er, Storybrooke, did this mean she wasn't Alice's mirror image anymore? If she wasn't a reflection, then what was she? What did that make her? Nothing?_

_She backed away from the mirror and clutched her head._

_Nothing... Nothing... Nothing..._

"Stop it!" Hatter yelled, her eyes snapping open. It took a moment for her surroundings to soak into her vision. A picture of a farm on the left wall. A bamboo chair in the corner. Quaint patchwork bed covers. She sighed, she was glad it had only been a dream, but just to be sure...

She slipped out from under the covers and approached the bathroom door. She walked slowly, because she knew if she ran, she was only going to startle and scare herself more.

Her hand was trembling by the time she'd reached the doorknob, and she hesitantly extended her hand, wrapping it around the cool metal and twisting.

She was instantly greeted by the familiar sight of the bathroom mirror. It had always rested just short above the sink and faucet. After spending a little time in Storybrooke, she'd learned what "modern technology" was and how it operated.

In the mirror, a very familiar set of blue eyes stared back at her. Red curls splashed onto her shoulders and complemented the black fabric that made her t-shirt nicely... she sighed. Despite the fact that she'd known all along that it had only been a dream and that there was no way for it to relate to her reality, she still had to question the fact whether she was a little off her rocker.

She'd never really been all that "mad", of course, people just called her that because they'd just assumed she'd been talking to herself. Although she'd learned long ago how to ignore those mocking voices in her head.

She had never really known how long she'd had those voices in her head for, but it had been for as long as she could remember. They weren't her imagination, no, she might've assumed that at one point, but that was before she'd learned the truth about herself. That she was just Alice's mirror image.

In a way, she was glad she'd learned. Thinking you were insane wasn't exactly something to be proud of. But she still wasn't sure which hurt more.

Every time that Alice had had her heart broken, every time she had her feelings hurt, Hatter had heard what she'd heard. She'd felt what she'd felt. But she knew what she felt was like a magnified version of what Alice felt. She knew that for sure. Compared to herself, Alice had hardly seemed broken. There was simply no way for her to be that innocent and still go through what she'd been forced to face.

Maybe that was the reason. She was meant to show Alice who she should not be, to remind her of what was evil. Herself.

That fact hurt. But what made it even worse was that Hatter had known it'd been true all along. Fighting the darkness had only ever made it worse. She'd lied to herself, let herself believe that there was some way to prevent her fate of spiraling into darkness. Growing up, she'd needed faith, she'd wanted to feel something other than pain.

But it was that pain that caused her to grow. Having only one emotion growing up was maybe the reason why she had gotten so lost over the years.

As she'd grown, she'd learned other things besides pain. She had to, of course, it was the only way for her to cope with it. Things had changed coming to Storybrooke, though. She felt more. She felt like her own person, although she knew she couldn't be that. The only reason she didn't see Alice in the mirror now was merely because she'd been cut off from the real world. Simple as that.

Hatter sighed and pulled herself away from the mirror. Once she'd reached her bed, she collapsed back onto the comfortable mattress, but she didn't close her eyes. She just lay there, staring up at the black ceiling hollowly.

It was only one of her many sleepless nights. And only the start of many more to come.


	10. Chapter 10

Rain pelted the glass of the Storybrooke cafe, and Hater stared out the window in dismay. Customers had become scarce lately, but no one could really explain why.

Things were changing around Storybrooke. It was almost like the weather had something to do with it.

Ha. Imagine that. The weather conspiring with dark acts.

"Hey, Madeline, you're here awfully early," Ruby said as she dashed into the room, a pile of dishes in her hands.

"Couldn't sleep last night." Ruby frowned, studying Madeline's actions closely.

"Sorry to hear about that," she finally said. "Do you want to talk about it?" Hatter shook her head.

"No, it's quite all right. I think the weather is to blame this time, anyway. Stupid lightning and all that," she said with a nervous chuckle.

Ruby nodded, a smile sketching across her features.

"Oh, well, okay, just tell me if it gets worse. All right?" Hatter nodded, biting her lip.

She felt a little guilty for lying to Ruby, she knew the girl meant no harm, but she liked to keep her thoughts private.

In a way, she was a little relieved, at least the people here accepted her. It was, after all, like a fresh start at life.

Hatter drew her thoughts toward her encounter with Morris the other night. Of all the shocks she had had with the life, he had to have been the biggest of all.

Well, then again, life wasn't about how many breaths you took, it was about how many moments took your breath away. Erm, figuratively speaking.

"Hey, you do realize I'm still here, right?" Ruby voiced aloud. Madeline chuckled and ran her hands through her hair nervously.

* * *

_**Short chapter, I know! You guys can still kill me if you want. (Yes, I said "you guys". Yes, I normally do write author's notes to myself.) I totally understand. =_=**_

_**SO SORRY! I have terrible writer's block on this story. It really really sucks, I can't think anymore! Agh.**_

_**...Ahem. Hopefully the next installment will be coming soon, and hopefully it will be at least 1,000 words long... do not sincerely doubt it.**_

_**R&R!**_


	11. Chapter 11

Hatter sighed and looked out over the toll bridge. It really was a fantastic sight, even if it did seem a bit... odd, for some reason.

A lot had been going on lately. She hadn't exactly anything she had expected, but she knew things never turned out the way you expected them to.

She was glad the outcome had been this way, though. Things were different here. It was like a... second chance for her.

She was startled out of her thoughts when a figure came and leaned on the railing right next to her. It was Jack!

"Hi," he said, his voice ringing melodically in her ears.

"Um, hi," she said, a bit startled.

"I don't believe I've met you before," he said, extending a hand. Madeline stared at it blankly for a long time, before bursting out in laughter.

"You're kidding, right?" she said in between chuckles. "I mean, you know me. I'm Madeline."

"I'm sorry," Jack said, cocking his head to the side. Madeline's smile faded. He really was telling the truth, wasn't he? Suddenly, a thought occurred to her, one she had neglected for quite a while.

"Oh, sorry, I just mistook you for someone," she said, stumbling across her words. "I'm Madeline," she said, extending a hand and shaking Jack's.


	12. Chapter 12

"Do you come out here often?" Jack said, averting his gaze back out towards the flowing, flushing water. Madeline followed suit, shrugging as she did so.

"I don't really," she mumbled. "I don't ever have much of the time." Jack nodded, but didn't look at her.

"I know the feeling," he admitted. "We're often too busy trying to d other things, like school, work, jobs, to really focus on what's important." He smiled and chuckled.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I forgot to introduce myself. My name's John." Madeline nearly froze. Was he joking or something? It might have to do with the memory thing. Storybrooke really was a perplexing place, wasn't it? But, then again, it might not be because of Storybrooke. It might be because of the fact that they were now in the real world...

"Nice to meet you, John," she said cheerfully, a fake grin plastered on her face in order to hide the emotions she really was feeling in this moment. For some reason, though, in the midst of all the confusion and hate and anger, she felt entirely calm. "So," she said, continuing on. "When did you move here?" John shrugged.

"I can't remember... but I think it's been for quite a while. Hmm..." he furrowed his brows. "I don't remember, actually..."


End file.
